East Midlands Information - This page is no longer maintained. Reference only

The East Midlands covers an area of 15,600 KM2, six percent of the total UK. The region includes the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland, and the cities of Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Northampton and Nottingham.

This page outlines key statistics about the region and brings together a range of resources and publications.

The UK mid-year population estimates for 2013 show that the population of the East Midlands grew to 4.6 million in mid-2013, an increase of 31,000 or 0.68 percent on the previous year, representing 7.2 percent of the UK population.

The region is the third most rural of the English regions, with 29.5 percent of the population living in rural settlements. The three largest cities, Leicester, Nottingham and Derby, have a population of around 884,300 at the time of the last census.

Life expectancy at birth in the East Midlands has risen from 73.7 years for males and 79 years for females in 1991-93 to 79.1 years for males and 82.9 years for females by 2010-12. This placed the region in fifth place for both men and women in the English regions in 2010-12, behind the East, South East, South West and London.

The population of the East Midlands has lower levels of qualifications compared to the rest of the UK with 30.1 percent of the region qualified to NVQ Level 4 and above, compared to 35 percent of the UK, according to the ONS annual population survey.

78.6 percent of the population of the East Midlands, 0.9 percent higher than the UK average. Of these, 74.1 percent were in employment and 5.6 percent were unemployed according to the August to October 2014 Labour Force Survey.

Gross weekly pay in the East Midlands is below the UK average with full time workers in the region earning £483.40 a week compared to £518 in the UK. Full time male workers in the region earn on average £106.30 a week more than their female counterparts, higher than the UK where male full time workers earn £95.90 a week more than female counterparts.

The employment rate for the East Midlands from August to October 2014 was 74.1 percent, up 0.4 percent on the previous quarter and higher than the UK rate of 73 percent for the same period. 54,351 people were receiving job seekers allowance in the region in November 2014. When calculated as the claimant count plus workforce jobs total, this was 2.4 percent, lower than the UK at 2.5 percent.

Those described as NEET (not in education, employment or training) in the East Midlands was 62,000 in quarter two of 2014, down from 96,000 in the same quarter in 2013 according to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Micro enterprises dominate the East Midlands business structure with 133,055 businesses employing between 0 and nine workers, 87.7 of businesses slightly behind the UK rate of 88.3 percent. Small businesses employing 10 to 49 workers make up 15,445, a further 10.2 percent of the region’s businesses compared with 9.6 percent of the UK. The 650 larges businesses with over 250 workers in the region comprise only 0.4 percent of all businesses, the same rate as the UK as a whole.

Job density in the East Midlands, the ratio of total jobs to population aged 16 to 64 was 0.75, compared to 7.8 in the UK as a whole.

In the East Midlands, the delivery of housing remains at only about 50 percent of actual need with councils planning for 400,000 new homes across the region over the next 20 years to support the needs of current and future local communities.

The average house in the region cost £131,610 in November 2014, up 5.7 percent on the previous year, in contrast with England and Wales where the average house price was £176,581 in November 2014, up 7.1 percent on the previous year.

The non-UK born population of the region is 6.2 percent, including a growing number of economic migrants, primarily from the EU. The BME population of the region is nine percent making it the third most ethnically diverse in England.

According to the English Indices of Deprivation 2010, the region is the fourth most deprived region in the country, behind Yorkshire and Humber and ahead of the West Midlands, containing seven percent of the 20 percent most deprived areas in the country.

East Midland’s residents have slightly poorer health than the national average and are more likely to suffer circulatory diseases, accidents, obesity or suicide than the national average but have lower than average mortality from cancer.

There are approximately 400 third sector support (infrastructure) organisations within the East Midlands operating at both local and regional level. These organisations are diverse in their nature and objectives and collectively support a wider network of approximately 35,000 front line organisations which in turn reflect the needs and diversity of the communities across the region.

According to the UK Civil Society Almanac 2014 there are 10,782 voluntary organisations in the East Midlands, 2.4 to every 1,000 people, which have a total income of £1.5billion and total funds of £2.7billion. In 2011/12 37 percent of their income came from individuals, 50 percent from statutory sources, four percent from the voluntary sector, three percent from investment, four percent from the private sector and two percent from the Big Lottery Fund. Their income in 2011/12 was £1,454.2 million, spending £1,412.5 million and assets were worth £2,702.9 million.

One East Midlands has updated its spreadsheet of all city, council, borough and district councillors in the region following the May 2013 elections. To request a copy email information@one-em.org.uk.

Also, following the publication of the English Indices of Deprivation 2010 by the Department for Communities and Local Government on 24 March 2011, One East Midlands has produced a summary of the results for the East Midlands, which can be accessed here.

In addition, following the announcement of the proposed constituency boundary changes by England's Boundary Commission in September 2011, One East Midlands has produced a summary of the proposed changes in the East Midlands, which can be accessed here.